I Love You
by Phoenix Lullaby
Summary: ..Oneshot..Complete.. Remus and Hermione. Never in a million years. But when tragedy throws them together, something begins to blossom...


To any person passing, the sight of a young woman suddenly appearing from thin air would perhaps have addled their brain slightly, before they would have firmly convinced themselves that it was simply a hallucination, most likely brought on by lack of sleep, before returning home to a mug of coffee and an early night. However, this young girl was not prepared to take the risk. Before appearing, she had taken a potion to make herself unseen by even the sharpest of eyes; for this young woman was not a normal young woman. This woman's name was Hermione Granger, and she was a witch. She walked up to a door, only visible to those who knew of it's existence, and gave three, short, sharp knocks, which she could hear echoing throughout the empty house. She waited for a few moments, before repeating the process. Satisfied that no-one was present in the house, she began to walk away, and perhaps, had she not seen the slight twitching of a curtain on the second floor, she would not have met the person she was about to meet, and perhaps her life would not have changed in the way it was about to. As it was, Hermione did see the twitching of a second floor curtain, and decided to try again. When that proved fruitless, she gave a small glance at her surroundings and brought out her wand. She muttered something unintelligible, and a spurt of light spilled from her wand, landing on the door-knob. She pocketed her wand and apprehensively opened the door.

Remus Lupin sat in his arm-chair, the fire blazing beside him, praying she'd go away. It was clear to him why she had come; just as he'd known that she would. He let out a soft moan, and felt his insides squirm as he thought of the reason why she'd come, the reason why he was here, why he hadn't moved from this house for nearly two weeks. The fact that he'd witnessed both her best friends being murdered before his very eyes still haunted him. It should have been him, not them. Two innocent nineteen year old boys murdered and one werewolf pushing up forty left to live. No, he couldn't handle it. Sometimes he felt like pushing his wand to his head and muttering the fatal spell, ending it all, but he couldn't. He'd promised Dumbledore as much. He was still so wrapped up in his misery and guilt that he didn't hear Hermione quietly enter the room, tears slipping down her cheeks.

Hermione surveyed Remus critically as she entered the room. He seemed so helpless, so sad, so desolate. He was alone; even Dobby, who had come to 12 Grimmauld Place with Harry prior to his death, had left him. His face was contorted with pain, twisted with grief, haunted with death. She felt the tears slip down her cheeks, flowing faster and faster; two waterfalls from her beautiful chestnut eyes.  
"Remus?" she whispered his name gently. "Remus?"  
Remus looked up at her wearily. He didn't say a word, nor did he intend to. Hermione stared down at him, her eyes drinking in his appearance, his thoughts.  
"Remus? Please talk to me." Remus didn't look at her, he couldn't; he was too guilty. "Remus, I don't blame you. Nobody does. It was a tr…" Hermione took a deep breath. "A tragic accident. We're at war, it happens." Hermione looked down, away from Remus, tears once again gushing from her eyes, her hair curtaining her face. She had lost both her best friends in one foul swoop, and he had been there. No, she didn't blame him, not at all, but it didn't stop the guilt.

"Please, Remus. Harry and Ron wouldn't want you to be like this. We have a war to fight. We have all the Horcruxes; all we have to do it defeat Voldemort. The end is near, and we need your help. Remus, please talk to me."  
"Hermione, I have lost everything. I have nothing left to fight for. I lost everything the day Harry died. I have no-one left. I let everyone down, and for that I can never forgive myself. Hermione, leave me; you can do nothing for me. You cannot turn back time, you cannot bring them back. I swore to protect him, yet here we are. Hermione, go, I am no good. I bring misfortune to everyone I know. I would hate for you to be a part of that."

"Remus, I cannot leave you. You ask too much of me. As for you bringing misfortune upon everyone, that isn't true! Voldemort is the reason that we are here now, he is the reason Harry and Ron are dead. Remus, you have not lost everyone; I am here for you, you are all I have left. My parents were killed three days ago, there is no-one left. Dumbledore is gone, Minerva, Severus. They are all gone."  
Remus looked down again, as hot tears fell down his face for the first time since Tonks had left him. Hermione looked down at him, and her heart filled with sorrow and pity. He looked so vulnerable, so pained. She knelt beside him.  
"Remus, I won't leave you." He looked into her eyes and saw strength, determination. She wrapped her arms around him, and held him as he cried, sobs racking his entire body. She cried with him, their tears mingling as they held each other, supporting each other, keeping each other strong. It was an odd situation, he was her old professor, she his star pupil, yet here they were, friends, comforting each other, grieving together. They stayed like that for hours, simply crying together, wrapped in one single embrace, their hearts overflowing.


End file.
